Gresham to put police on MAX trains

Pointing to statistics that show much of Gresham's crime occurs near the MAX light-rail lines, Mayor Shane Bemis announced Friday that city police officers will begin riding the trains starting Wednesday.

Law enforcement services on MAX are currently provided by TriMet officers, but Bemis said he consistently hears from constituents that they do not feel protected.

"It's time to take matters into our own hands," he said. "We're going to ... protect our citizens so people feel safe riding the system," and cited "TriMet's failure to realize they have issues."

Discussion of commuter protection began at a Gresham public safety summit in March, Bemis said. City statistics show that 84 percent of gang crimes, 40 percent of fights and 42 percent of drug crimes occur within a quarter-mile of the tracks.

"Not to mention vandalism, business burglaries and the fare inspections that aren't happening," he added.

A TriMet official said the agency welcomes the help.

"That takes advantage of the knowledge that the Gresham officers have about their city," said Mary Fetsch, a spokesperson for TriMet. "It's really a benefit to have the officers there."

Fetsch said the transit system receives about three complaints a day in the Gresham area. Gresham Police Department Capt. Tim Gerkman said that number does not include crimes in areas near MAX stations.

"We have always said that we have incidents on our system and that we look at the trends, where they're occurring," Fetsch said. "The transit system reflects the community it travels through. They have a lot of poverty, unemployment and gang issues, and occasionally that will come onto the train system."

In studying crime around the 162nd Avenue stop, Gerkman said the department found that many criminals were commuting in from other areas.

Fetsch said that overall crime is down on the light rail system, but TriMet recently installed cameras at Gresham Central Station in response to the crime there.

"We are making investments, and we'll continue to do that," she said.

Both Bemis and Gerkman declined to say how many officers will be assigned to the trains, when or how often they will ride them. "If our non-law abiding citizens know the schedule ... they'll know they need to be off the trains," Gerkman said.

But Bemis said there will be a regular presence. "The public will see us," he said. "We will definitely be there."

Officers riding the trains will come from the department's patrol division, said Gerkman. The department is not sure how much the operation will cost, but said it will be within the police department's budget.

Only the Beaverton Police Department now regularly assigns its officers to ride MAX trains. In Beaverton, where two full-time bike officers patrol the trains every day, Sgt. Paul Wandell said the presence of uniformed officers has been a deterrent.

Fetsch said police from Portland, Hillsboro and other departments ride the train. But those departments assign officers only when a specific issue or event requires it.

In a letter to Bemis on Friday, TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen wrote, in part, "I understand the challenges Gresham faces with poverty, unemployment and gang activity and that the city is looking toward a possible public safety ballot measure to expand your police force."

Bemis responded that the move is not politically motivated.

"If it were a political issue, we would be doing this in November '08, not November '07," he said. "The issues are there. The statistics show the issues are there. This is again TriMet's failure to realize they have issues."